PARTNER CHANNEL: News Briefs

Posted: 11/2003

NEWS BRIEFS

MegaPath Networks Inc. has
announced Premier Agent, part of the Pathways partner program tailored to master
agents and their subagents. Premier Agent offers collaborative pre- and
post-sales support for enterprise customers, dedicated account management,
regular training and higher commission tiers.

MegaPath will provide on-site sales support to Premier agents
after a sale is closed. Premier agents also have access to its extranet, which
delivers real-time network monitoring and management capabilities. Pathways
partners and their customers can view real-time order status, scheduled installs
and provisioning milestones.

MegaPath says it is doubling its investment in the outside
sales channel, and has hired channel sales veteran Peter Stokes to its sales and
marketing management team.

Equant has
announced a three-tier North American agent program. Each tier carries its own
compensation and support level. The master agent tier has full sales
responsibility, must meet Equant specifications regarding number of subagents
and must provide tools to facilitate sales functions, including training, bid
support and timely commission payments for subagents. Sales agents assume full
sales responsibility. These agents will work with the Equant agent team on more
complex solutions. Referral agents register leads that result in closed sales.
They will be compensated with a recurring residual payment over the life of the
contract. In the referral program, Equant assumes the account management role.

Tallgrass LLC,
an application service provider for telecom expense and cost-management
solutions, has signed Telecom Brokerage Inc. (TBI), a Chicago-based master agency, to private label
Tallgrass management solutions. TBI will offer them via its nationwide network
of agents. The Web-based Tallgrass solution consolidates and automates the
otherwise tedious and expensive efforts associated with identifying billing
errors, misuse and inventory discrepancies and customers with evaluating future
telecom requirements. Tallgrass markets its solutions exclusively via agents.

TelePacific Communications has
signed master agency Global Systems Telecom Inc. to its Telepartner
program, to offer CLEC voice and data services in California and Nevada.

TelePacific also will offer services in Palm Springs, Palm
Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indio and Bermuda Dunes this month. Services will include
local and long-distance voice, data services and highspeed Internet access,
e-mail and Web hosting.

Intelisys Inc.,
a master agent, has signed a business partner agreement with SAVVIS
Communications. Intelisys network of 500 telecom consultants, VARs and
independent sales agents will represent SAVVIS managed IP services, including
the Intelligent IP Networking and Intelligent Hosting services,
firewalling, load balancing, SSL acceleration and rate shaping. The Intelisys
SWAT Team will help agents close deals on large account opportunities, says
Nancy Schwartz, senior sales manager for the SWAT program.

Metropolitan Communications has
opened a sales office in Boston and has added four agent managers, Kevin Foley,
Timothy Hanley, Chad Maguire and Chuck York, to develop business in the New
England states. The company has been serving customers in Massachusetts for the
past year.

In other news, MetTel now offers basic services to Florida
business customers.